I made it through all major Baltimore classifications of virii. A virus stretches the definition of what life is, because it does not have the means to replicate itself without a cellular host, notably any form of ribosome. Virii contain either DNA or RNA, and some contain RNA/DNA polymerase as well.

Interestingly hepatitis B has its own parasite, the delta agent. The delta agent is known as a sub-virus because the proteins for its coat are only expressed on the hepatitis B virus. So it requires both cell host and the cell host to be infected with hepatitis B to replicate.

I took a small video through my microscope of the bacteria yesterday. Link is here, 76meg though. You can see both coccoid and filamentous bacteria forming colonies, and quite a few spirillum shaped free swimmers.
- posted by Aargau @ 8:47 AM